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ICAI. RETURT. Y Patented Sept. 1,9, 189,3.

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No. 505,356.v

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R. HAIG. MBGH-ANIGAL RETORT. `No. 505,356.- Patented Sept. 19, 1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE,

ROBERT IIAIG, OF PAISLEY, SCOTLAND.

MECHANICAL RETORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 505,356, datedSeptember 19, 1893.

Application filed October 20, 1891. Serial No. 409,336. (No model.)Patented in England April 12, 1889, No. 6,242, and in France June5,1889,No. 198,736.

T 0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT HAIG, chemist, of the Mechanical RetortsCompany, Limited, of Murray Street, Paisley, Scotland, have inventedImprovements in the Construction and Arrangement of Mechanical Retortsfor the Treatment of Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral Matters, (for whichI have received Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 6,242, dated April12, 1889 and in France, No. 198,786, dated June 5, 1889,) of which thefollowing is a specification.`

This invention which relates to improvement in the construction andarrangement of mechanical retorts for the treatment of animal, vegetableand mineral matters, has for its object to provide a mechanical retortwhich may be usedlfor the distillation, desiccation or regeneration ofsuch matters or substances, as for example among other things, it may beused for distilling shale or wood, drying chemicals, revivifying charfor sugar refining, &c., and which owing to its construction andarrangement edects the said processes in a much more efficient andeconomical manner than hitherto.

My said invention relates to circular upright retorts in which thematerial under treatment is kept in intermittently continual progressionor agitation, from its entrance at the top of the retort until it hastraversed the retort and is discharged at the bottom thereof.

In accordance with my improvements upon this class of retorts, Iintroduce the material through the top cover of the retort as near thecenter thereof as practicable so that the material falls into the retortupon a top revolving plate, near the center thereof, and is deflectedtherefrom to and over the outer edge of the said plate, from whence thematerial falls down upon the outer edge of a fixed plate below, and isdeflected therefrom to and over the inner edge of said plate and on tothe next lower revolving plate, and so on with regard to every pair ofplates in the retort, till it leaves. the last fixed plate, when itfalls through a skeleton revolving plate on to the bottom of the retortfrom whence it is deiected outward to the discharge. Also in accordancewith my improvements I am enabled, owing to the arrangement of fines, tokeep an approximate equality of temperature throughout the retort bycausing the heat to be applied at the top of the retort Where the coldmaterial is'fed in, and drawing the reduced furnace heat out at thebottom where the hot material leaves, also by the removal of thevolatile matters, vapors or gases from the bottom of said retort in lieuof the top, I

`am enabled not only to maintain equality of heat but to effect aneconomy of fuel.

In the drawings, Figures 1, 2 and 3 are respectively front view, crosssectional eleva, tion, and plan, and Figs. e to 8, inclusive are detailviews of my said improved mechanical retort.

Referring to the said drawings I construct, preferably of cast ironrings an upright cylinder or drum A having its ends closed by means ofdisks or covers B, B', the latter of which is curved or dished. The saiddisks B, B', are each provided with sleeves C, C', which project throughthe lines and masonry, in

such a manner as to permit of an upright shaft D passing up through thecenter of the drum A, the said'shaft being carried at its lower end d ina suitable step bracket d', and driven by means of bevel gearing Eeither at its lower end as shown or at its top end. Inside the said drumA I arrange a number of pairs of disks or plates, each pair consistingof a revolving disk or plate F and a fixed or stationary disk or plateG, the said. revolving plate F being carried by the shaft D and ispreferably made less in diameter than the inside diameter of the drum A,so as-to leave an annular space around its circumference; underneath therevolving plate F I mount the fixed or stationary plate G which iscarried by and suitably connected to the shell of the drum A, and isformed with a central hole or opening so as to leave an annular spacearound the shaft D.

To the :inside of the cover B also to the under sides of all the platesF and Gand to the under side of the revolving skeleton plate H mountedunderneath the said plates F and G I attach by any suitable means anumber of blades J, which may be mounted singly, or as is shown in partplan and part sectional elevation Figs. 4 and 5, and in sectionalelevation Fig. 6 taken on line X, Y, of Figs. Ll, in groups so as toform harrows which work upon the upper surface of the plate below IOOand so plow or stirthe material being treated as well as deflect iteither toward the shell or away from it according to the plate they aremounted on and to the angle given them; the said deiiecting being alsoassisted by means of single blades or Scrapers K, arranged around thecircumference of the revolving plates F, as Shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5 soas to keep the annular space clear, and by single blades or Scrapers LFigs. 7 and 8 arranged around the inside openings of the stationaryplates G the said Scrapers L being held stationary by the snugs orprojections l engaging with the under sides of the stationary plates Gso as to scrape the center of the revolving plates F, by the edge Z'.

In Fig. 2 is illustrated one scraper L in position. The others have beenomitted for sake of clearness and a desire not to confuse the drawings.

The top Sleeve C is so made that in addition to carrying or steadyingthe shaft- D it serves as a chute and is connected at its top end to thelower side of the discharge pipe m, of the hopper M, into which thematerial to be treated is charged more or less continuously so as alwaysto have the feeding screw working in a full or nearly full hopper and soprevent air getting into the retort. Also the discharge N is providedwith a double door arrangement N which is so constructed and geared thatthe two doors are never open at the same time, or a suitable pocketeddrum l arrangement, and the said discharge N is preferably arranged inor near the bottom of the retort as Shown in the drawings though I mayalsoy so form the lower sleeve C as to act as a discharge in which casethe double door arrangement N would be mounted underneath, and in lieuof the skeleton plate there would be an ordinary revolving plate F so asto deflect the material toward the center of the retort in lieu of thecircumference. In order to keep the said retort at an approximateequality of temperature I so arrange the furnace P and tiues Q which areall inclosed in vlorickwork or other suitable masonry S as well as allthe retort and fittings so that the combustion gases which heat theretort are caused to pass up and over the cover B thence down and aroundthe sides by means of the divisions Q', until they reach the bottom ofthe retort after passing through below which they are led to the chimneyby the flue Q2. The said equality of temperature is also assisted by soarranging the volatile matter, vapor or gas outlet R as near the bottomof the retort as possible or through the center of the bottom cover B,so as to enable the said volatile matters, vapors or gases leaving theretort when at their highest temperature as well as when the combustiongases are at their lowest. The said volatile matters may be withdrawnby. means of any suitable eX- hauster. It will thus be seen that thewhole arrangement is such that on the material passing through thehopper M it falls onto the center of the top revolving plate F, and isformed into rings and deflected outward by means of the harrows andScrapers attached to the cover B till it drops over the edge of the saidrevolving plate F and falls on the outer edge of the top stationaryplate Gand is there formed into rings and deflected inward by means ofthe top plates harrows and Scrapers till it falls through the annularspace, which is kept clear by means of the Scrapers L, onto the nextrevolving plate F, and so on till it reaches the annular space of thelowest stationary plate G whence it falls through the skeleton plate Hand is formed into rings and deflected outward by means of the saidplates harrows and Scrapers till it reaches the discharge N and passesthrough the double door arrangement N to the residue conveyer, &c. Toassist the treatment of the material I may introduce superheated or lowpressure Steam into the interior of the retort preferably along lwiththe material.

I claim- 1. In a drying retort, the combination of-a series of revolvingplates, a series of stationary plates having centralopenings, andscrapers the upper ends of which are adapted to extend. up into thecentral openings of the stationary plates, a-nd their lower edges Zvbearing upon the revolving plates at about their center, substantiallyas and for the pury poses herein before set forth. f

2. In a drying apparatus, the combination i with a retort, of a Seriesof revolving plates F,a series of stationary plates G, scrapers arrangedabove the said plates to stir up the material upon them, and blades Karranged around the edges of the revolving plates,sub stantially asdescribed.

3. Ina drying apparatus, the combination with a retort, a series ofrevolving plates F j a series of stationary plates G having centralopenings, the Scrapers arranged above the `said plates to stir up thematerial thereon, the stationary Scrapers L arranged to bear upon therevolving plates below the openings in the stationary plates, and theblades K arranged at the edge of the revolving plates vsubstantially asdescribed.

4. In a drying apparatus, the combination of a vertically arrangedclosed retort, means for feeding material slowly through the same, andan escape passage for the volatile vapors from the retort leading fromthe lower part thereof, and a heating flue for the retort outsidethereof leading first to the top thereof then around the same and thenout near the bottom thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT HAIG.

Vitnesses:

JAMES YATE J oHNsoN,

JOHN GEORGE CLARK,

